NEWSLETTER December 2017 Issue 2
RUSSIAN HELICOPTERS UPGRADES MI-171E HELICOPTERS
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ussian Helicopters, part of Rostec State Corporation, is working on a new upgrade to its Mi-171E multipurpose helicopters. Flight tests of the new Mi-171E with upgraded power unit and rotor system has been started at Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (UUAP). The upgraded Mi-171E helicopter is equipped with a new rotor and X-shaped tail
rotor with blades made of polymer composite materials, upgraded swash plate, Russian-made VK-2500PS-03 engine with a FADECtype digital control system, and with modified stabilizer and keel beam. The new technical upgrades and innovations will enhance the economic efficiency of the helicopter. The upgrades are expected to finish by the end of the 2017. The Mi-171E helicopter, equipped with a new carrier system, can increase the maximum speed, the flight range and external sling payload, and can make flights in the thin air of high altitudes and high temperatures more smoothly. The new X-shaped blades of tail and main rotor will reduce the noise level significantly. The modernised version is expected to boost the demand for Mi-171E helicopters in the market. All the components of the carrier system has become lighter, their resources have been increased. Also, the maintenance complexity has been decreased. Digital de-icing system for composite blades of main and tail rotor is a new feature of Mi-171E helicopter.
PHILIPPINES TO BUY EMBRAER ATTACK PLANES
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hilippine Air Force (PAF) will soon induct A-29 Super Tucano combat aircrafts in their attack air fleet. The move has been announced by Brazilian aerospace conglomerate Embraer, the
winning bidder to supply the propeller-driven planes to PAF for $98.5 million. Embraer has received the order of six A-29 Super Tucano light attack and advanced training aircraft. PAF has decided to include Super Tucano as part of its ongoing modernization plan ‘Flight Plan 2028’. The aircraft will be deployed for close air support, light attack, surveillance, air-to-air interception, and counterinsurgency missions. Embraer has said that the deliveries will start in 2019. The Super Tucano is one of the best light attack aircraft in the market.The A-29 Super Tucano is a durable, versatile and powerful turboprop aircraft capable of carrying out a wide range of missions, even operating from unimproved runways. Super Tucano has been selected by 14 air forces worldwide till date. Once the delivery of these aircraft is completed, they will be turned over to and maintained by the 15th Strike Wing, the PAF’s end-user. Also Philippine Air Force has long been seeking new attack planes to deal with Islamist extremists and communist rebels in rural areas of the country. The comprehensive public bidding process has been participated by several manufacturers from around the globe and the Super Tucano was selected through stringent evaluation processes.
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LIEBHERR OPENS LIAISON OFFICE IN HAMBURG
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eading German aviation and aerospace systems supplier Liebherr-Aerospace has officially opened its new liaison office inHamburg’s Center of Applied Aeronautical Research (‘Zentrum fuer Angewandte Luftfahrtforschung’, ZAL). The newly opened office of the liaison team, close to the facilities of aircraft manufacturer Airbus in Hamburg (Germany), is expected to further boost close cooperation between the engineering and R&D teams of Airbus and Liebherr- Aerospace.The new office will also conduct engineering as well as testing and will support fast track development works on site. Peter Eusemann, Liebherr-Aerospace’s Liaison Manager for Airbus, has said that fast and efficient development of new technologies will be an essential driver of tomorrow’s aircraft. Being able to work closer with Airbus’ engineering teams will help to foster new ideas, enable their immediate realization and implement such technologies quickly into the market.
FINCANTIERI PROPOSES FREMM FRIGATE DESIGN TO CANADA
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talian shipbuilder Fincantieri, in collaboration with French naval defence systems manufacturer Naval Group, has proposed to the Government of Canada a joint-offer based on the FREMM Frigate design to meet the requirements of Royal Canadian Navy. This is in the wake of Canada’s declaration of its intention to acquire an existing and proven NATO warship design that could be readily modified to induct into its navy .
Naval Group and Fincantieri, with the support of both French and Italian governments, have combined their expertise and presented a proposal of an “off-the-shelf”, sea-proven solution based on the FREMM frigate design for the supply of 15 surface combatant ships to the Royal Canadian Navy. Considered as a leading vessel in its class, the FREMM frigate is a versatile vessel able to execute any type of missions encompassing all warfare domains (AAW, ASW, ASuW, Land Attack, Command Ship, etc.). Naval Group and Fincantieri have previously collaborated on several major naval projects, including the joint development of the FREMM frigate. Both the general purpose and antisubmarine warfare variants of FREMM frigate are already in service in two leading NATO navies. Should the offer be accepted, the future FREMM frigates would be built in Canada at Irving Shipbuilding and the project is expected to maximise Canadian Industrial participation and job creation locally through a dedicated and comprehensive transfer of technology.
UKROBORONPROM TO SUPPLY T-72 SPARES TO EU
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he Ukrainian state arms export agency has announced that Ukroboronprom, the association of multi-product enterprises in various sectors of the defence industry of Ukraine,
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has signed a contract with a state-owned company in one of the EU countries regarding the supply of spare parts for T-72 tanks. SFTE SpetsTechnoExport, which is a part of Ukroboronprom, will supply the spare parts and other components for the manufacturing of T-72 battle tanks. The contract was signed on the basis of the results of the Ukroboronprom’s participation in the public tender under the GPA. The press service of the Ukroboronprom reported that the tender was conducted in accordance with the European defence directive 2009/81/ec. The terms and conditions of the contract are not disclosed. The T-72 is a Russian made main battle tank that entered production in 1970. The T-72 was the most common tank used by the Soviet Army from the 1970s to the collapse of the Soviet Union and is considered one of the power battle tanks in the world.
FRANCE TAKES DELIVERY OF MMPS FROM MBDA
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rance’s defence procurement agency, the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), has accepted the delivery of the first batch of 50 missiles and 20 firing posts to the French Armed Forces as part of the Missile Moyenne Portee/ Medium Range Missile (MMP) system from the European missile-maker MBDA. The MMP is the latest and fifth generation land combat missile system designed for dismounted infantry as well as for integration on combat vehicles. The system will be issued to French Army infantry and cavalry units, and Special Forces of the Army, Navy and Air Force. The MMP has been ordered by France in 2013 for its infantry and
combat reconnaissance vehicles (Scorpion Progam). The DGA, which awarded MBDA the MMP contract, qualified the system last July, clearing the way for serial production. The governmentrun techno-operational trials at the DGA’s test centre in Bourges from August to October 2017, evaluated efficiency of the system. MMP will gradually replace the Milan, the HOT missiles mounted on VAB Armoured Fighting Vehicles and the ERYX for some of these missiles. The MMP programme will see the delivery of 400 firing posts and 1,750 missiles across all of the French Armed Forces by 2025. The first deliveries will be used for the training purposes of its future users. The weapon system will be deployed in operations in the course of 2018. The MMP offers both ‘fire-and-forget’ and‘ man-in-the-loop’ capabilities. The first enables fixed or mobile targets to be hit without intervention by the operator during the missile’s flight. The second allows the operator to change targets mid-flight, to refine the point of impact, or to divert the missile; it also opens up the possibility of firing at hidden targets beyond the direct line of sight. The weapon system is feasible for day and night use. Its multi-purpose warhead is effective against vehicles, armour, infrastructures and personnel. MMP’s extreme accuracy gives it the ability to strike at a range of over 4,000 metres while minimising the risk of collateral damage. MMP can be fired by dismounted infantrymen and is also to be fitted on the EBRC Jaguar armoured reconnaissance and combat vehicle, due to be delivered to the French Army in 2020.
ANDREW YEONG TO LEAD TATA COMMUNICATIONS ASIA
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ata Communications has announced the appointment of Andrew Yeong as its head of sales for Asia region. As the chief, Andrew will be responsible for the growth of Tata Communications’ business across all industry verticals, focussing on providing transformation services to large corporations in the Asia Pacific region. With over 20 years of experience of working with blue-chip technology companies including Lexmark, IBM and Oracle, Andrew is recognised in the industry for his results-driven
approach to drive business strategy across sectors and verticals. At the helm of Tata, Andrew will have to enable accelerated business growth for enterprises in the Asia region. Andrew will also support the company’s strategic efforts in growing and maintaining its position in the network infrastructure market, as well as build deeper penetration with its cloud enablement and cybersecurity solutions. After taking charge, Andrew Yeong said that he looks forwards to play an integral role in the Tata team with innovative approach to enabling organisations and service providers in their end-toend digital transformation journeys right from solution design to operational excellence. Commenting on the appointment, James Parker, Chief Revenue Officer, Tata Communications, said that Asia Pacific, will continue to be a region of prime interest for Tata as global enterprises redesign their business growth strategies to tap on the opportunities this region has to offer. Yeong will be helping to address local priorities and enable enterprises stake claim to new ground on their digital transformation journeys.
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‘NIRBHAY’ FLIGHT TESTED SUCCESFULLY
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ndia’s missile arsenal is expected to get another upgrade as Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has succesfully test-fired ‘NIRBHAY’ - nation’s first indigenously designed and developed Long Range Sub-Sonic Cruise Missile.
The missile, which can be deployed from multiple platforms, performed a majestic test flight in the skies above the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha on November 7, boosting the confidence of entire people behind the stage. The missile, which has the capability to loiter and cruise at a speed of 0.7 Mach at altitudes as low as 100 m, fulifilled all the mission objectives from lift-off till the final splash succesfully. The missile sonorously cruised for a total time duration of 50 minutes, achieving the range of 647 km. Powered by a solid rocket motor booster developed by the Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) NIRBHAY took off majestically from a mobile launcher specifically designed by the Vehicles R&D Establishment. It has completed all stages like launch phase, booster deployment, engine start and wing deployment successfully in the programmed manner. Throughout it’s trajectory the flight of the missile has been tracked and it’s health parameters have been monitored by indigenous telemetry stations by team of professionals from DRDO with the help of ground based radars.
SINGAPORE ENHANCES DEFENCE TIES WITH INDIA
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he second India -Singapore Defence Ministers’ Dialogue, aimed at the enhancement of the defence ties between the two nations, has been successfully concluded in Delhi. The dialogue has been the continuation of the revised Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) 2015 to further strengthen the longstanding defence relationship between the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Indian Armed Forces.
Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Defence of the Republic of India and Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Defence of the Republic of Singapore have jointly reaffirmed the importance of maintaining maritime freedom of navigation and trade consistent with international law. Both Ministers have emphasised the importance of international cooperation in tackling transnational security threats, and in particular measures to collectively tackle the threat of terrorism. Of particular significance during the meeting has been the conclusion of the India-Singapore Bilateral Agreement for Navy Cooperation, which will lead to increased cooperation in maritime security, joint exercises, temporary deployments from each other’s naval facilities and mutual logistics support. Both Ministers have said that they look forward to the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise next year. Dr Ng has agreed to India’s proposal for continuous and institutionalised naval engagements in their shared maritime space, including establishing maritime exercises with like-minded regional/ ASEAN partners.
AIRBUS ACKNOWLEDGES ITS TOP SUPPLIERS
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eading aeronautical and aerospace giant Airbus has recognised its top defence and space suppliers on the occasion of its 4th annual Supplier Conference held at Munich on 30th November. The best-in-class suppliers have been presented with awards for their service in each of the company’s commodity clusters Equipment and Systems, Structure and Materials, and Services and IT etc. The awardees have been selected from the entire chain of more than 10,000 suppliers of Airbus around the world. Carlisle Interconnect Technologies has won the Best Performance in Equipment & Systems Award for its outstanding
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delivery performance at 99% and flexibility in commercial discussions regarding its supply of cables and connectors to Airbus. The Best Performance in Structure & Materials Award has been presented to RUAG Space for its open and pragmatic approach to the design, manufacture and qualification of subsystems on the Metop A&B and Sentinel 1 C&D satellites. Accenture has won the Services & IT Best Performance award for its efforts towards the development of an Electronic Information Exchange system, specifically to support the Airbus C295 aircraft search and rescue programme for Canada. Airbus has presented a special Best Innovator Overall award to Liebherr Aerospace as a recognition to its overall performance in innovation and service.